By Janet Kanters

Australian agritech company Stacked Farm is preparing to open a A$150 million vertical farm in Melbourne while raising A$45 million to support expansion in Australia and the United States, where it is developing a US$126 million production facility in California.

Scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, the Melbourne facility will span 10,000 square metres in a fully enclosed, climate-controlled environment. The company expects it to produce 3.4 million kilograms of leafy greens and herbs annually, with year-round production protected from weather-related disruptions.

The facility represents the most advanced deployment of Stacked Farm’s automated growing technology to date and is intended to provide a model for future farms in other markets.

“Vertical farming has already proved it can grow great produce. The industry’s remaining challenge is proving it can do so reliably, repeatedly and economically at commercial scale,” said founder Daniel Tzvetkoff. “That’s what we have spent years engineering for before expanding globally.”

The company says it has spent years refining its automation technology, operating model and production economics before pursuing international growth, with an emphasis on consistent output, customer demand, operational efficiency and long-term profitability.

The Melbourne operation uses robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and automated crop management to move produce from seed to sealed packaging without direct human handling. Digital traceability throughout the process is intended to support product consistency and reduce contamination risks.

U.S. expansion underway

Stacked Farm is also advancing its North American expansion. In September, it opened a research and customer experience centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is nearing completion of financing for its first large-scale U.S. production farm in Southern California.

The planned US$126 million facility is expected to operate with long-term supply agreements from major West Coast wholesalers. The company has not provided an opening date for the California farm.

“Expanding into the U.S. allows Stacked Farm to deliver the same reliability, quality, and scale we’re building in Australia to millions of American consumers,” Tzvetkoff said.

Over the next five years, Stacked Farm plans to develop 10 farms across major U.S. markets, replicating its automated growing system at each location.

The A$45 million capital raise is intended to provide working capital for the company’s Australian and U.S. operations as it moves from establishing its Melbourne facility to broader international deployment.

Founded by Tzvetkoff on the Gold Coast in 2016, Stacked Farm developed its technology through Australian operations before moving into the U.S. market. The company says its expansion strategy is designed to demonstrate that automated indoor farming can deliver consistent produce at commercial scale while maintaining viable production economics.